


It Makes For Happy Endings

by hariboo



Series: The Tenderhearted [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, accidental sequels and series my fandom skill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2013-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-06 15:59:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1108757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/pseuds/hariboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And then Mulan walked in and touched her arm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Makes For Happy Endings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [myownremedy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myownremedy/gifts).



> HEY JULIA SO I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH “SRS” CANON AURORA/MULAN KNOWLEDGE, BUT I DID MAKE UP VERSE FOR THEM SO… YOUR PROMPT HAS BEEN REPURPOSED FOR THE VERSE. I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND. this is really loud in caps, sorry!

Belle was the first friend that Aurora feels she made in town, but Ruby and Mulan were second and third and it had all been within the first hour of her second day in the town, and her first morning. And Belle was the first person she’d truly spoken to. The first person to make Aurora feel comfortable in a long time. 

When she’d left home, she had taken near-enough nothing but Cillian’s address in her memory. He’d told her that she was welcome and told her where to find the extra key to his flat in case he was on the boat when she came in, which he had been. She’s called him and he said he’d be back on Monday and make herself at home. She hadn’t thought she could. Not in this new place, but she found the Red Wolf Diner the next morning when jetlag kept her from sleeping the full night - she’s arrived at Cillian’s at midday the day before and promptly slept for almost 13 hours. She hadn’t slept one wink on the plane only to wake up at five am, her stomach rumbling, and Cillian’s rather bare fridge - and then in the diner she had found Belle. 

Belle and Ruby, to be specific, because those two came as a packaged pair as she learned quickly enough. 

And then Mulan walked in and touched her arm. 

Aurora knew she was a bit of a romantic, she had enough romance novels to prove it, but she’d never--

Electric touches weren’t supposed to be a thing. 

But Mulan’s awkward (for her) and casual (for Mulan, for she had thought Aurora was Belle at the time) touch had jolted her awake more than the tea Belle had set down. 

She had thought it was just the awkwardness of the moment at the time. Not many people -- hardly any people really -- had ever been so carefree with physical affection, mistakenly or not, with Aurora ever before. So she had filed it away, just an awkward first introduction, and left it at that. 

She hadn’t expected Mulan to… well. She hadn’t expected to see Mulan again. Not really. Even though the area was small and everyone seemed to at least be familiar with each other, Aurora had not expected to befriend Mulan at all. She’d never had a friend like Mulan before. Nor one like Ruby, or Emma, or Robin, to be fair, but Mulan had been so different. A series of contradictions and quiet that Aurora never expected in her life. 

Belle, with her sweet smile and open nature, had been the first friend Aurora made in this new place, but Mulan became, to her eternal surprise, her best one. 

-

It’s funny how quickly Mulan became important in her life here. How quickly she inserted herself into Aurora’s daily life. First in with that morning in the diner, but then the next day at dinner, when she popped in with Cillian and Mulan had shyly waved to them from where she was talking to Ruby at the counter. Then it was the autoshop when she went because she’d seen a deal for a scooter. Aurora didn’t have enough money for a car at the moment, barely even her own flat, which is why she was staying with Cillian, but she had money for a mostly broken scooter that she brought to Robin’s autoshop and found Mulan working under the hood of some car. 

Mulan had a smudge of something on her cheek, Aurora didn’t know what, and a pair of worn dungarees on. Aurora hadn’t thought the whole mechanic thing was her thing. She was blushing, but who wouldn’t? Honestly. Aurora tried to keep her eyes locked onto Mulan’s, and if she kept glancing towards the smudge, or the loose strap of the dungarees, or the strand of hair loose from Mulan’s ponytail, it was just because she had never seen her so dishevelled before. Right. 

After that it was at the bar Belle took her too, where Mulan bartender. She learnt that night that Mulan tended bar and fixed cars and still went to school. Aurora was still looking for _one_ job. 

Which actually Mulan helped her find when she found out Aurora was looking. 

Soon it just became part of her day to see Mulan in dinner, or take her lunch at the shop when Aurora had the time, see her at the library when she was studying and Aurora was returning books, cross the street and walk home together before they split because on Morton Street Aurora goes left and Mulan goes right.

And then movie nights started. 

-

Aurora is getting the food ready, crisps and wine and Mulan’s favourite toffee popcorn, and she’s trying not to think about Cillian’s words from earlier before he left. 

“It’s so cute you and Mulan have date nights each week, love,” he’d said, feet propped up on the coffee table as Aurora had swatted his legs off as she was hoovering. 

“It’s not a date night,” she’d mumbled as Cillian rolled his eyes and with a kiss to her cheek left for the evening. Possibly weekend; Cillian lived on a very strange schedule, and mostly on his boat. Aurora didn’t mind it, it gave her apartment to herself most of the time, which until she could afford her own she shared with her cousin. 

And it wasn’t a date night. Except, well, it was Friday, which universally _was_ considered a date night, but it was also one of the few nights a week Mulan had off work -- ironically, or maybe not, now that she thinks of it; Friday nights would be actually a good night at the bar. -- and after a week at the fabric shop she likes her quiet nights at home. The shop gets a surprising amount of traffic. Her bosses are three elder sisters who spend most of their time bickering, adorably if she does say so herself, and have her constantly changing the window display. It’s only constant is an ancient spindle Aurora isn’t allowed to touch.

But it’s not a date. Not at all. 

So what if they cosy up on the couch and watch endless films. What if one of them always brings either wine or food (this week it’s Mulan’s turn for the food, Aurora already has the wine)? It’s just a night in with her new, and closest, friend. 

It’s not a date. She frowns as she makes herself some tea. Cillian is mad. Plus, Aurora has generally been attracted to men before and Mulan most definitely isn’t one. Aurora has seen her jogging around town in her shorts and sports bra. And sometimes when she works nights at the bar she wears these short crop tops that expose a good amount of her toned flat stomach and maybe once or twice she’s caught herself staring and avoiding Ruby’s wolf grin, but it’s only curiosity. Mostly. 

Mulan does have really nice lips--

The timer on the oven rings and Aurora startles out of her thoughts with a curse, almost slipping her tea. 

“Bollocks,” she whispers to herself, ducking down and pulling out the biscuits she’s made. Gingersnaps. Mulan’s favourites. And it’s just a nice treat, for her friend, who’s had exam prep this entire week and she can hear Cillian’s laughter in her head. _Shut it, you wanker_ , Aurora thinks, letting the biscuits cool, and checks the time. It’s almost seven. Mulan is always more or less punctual and Aurora is still in her work clothes. Which is not a big deal. Mulan has seen her in worse, but she’d like to be comfortable so she rushes to her room.

She’s pulling on her new cuddly peach jumper when the she hears the doorbell and cringes. She looks fine, normal, but…

Quickly she shakes out her hair and pinches her cheeks. 

At the door she pauses, rummaging through her bag and pulls the little tube of lipgloss, stilling after the first swipe. She’s… well, she’s done this before.

She’s done this several times before, but it’s been under very specific circumstances. Date-like circumstances and maybe once or twice when going out since arriving in town -- but she was going out to the bar, it had merit -- and _all right, shut up, Cillian_ , maybe last week before movie night.

Shit. 

She fancies Mulan. 

Huh.

Looking at herself in the small hall mirror, she stares at herself. She doesn’t look as surprised as she thought she would be. 

The doorbells rings again and she shakes herself out of her stupor and flashes her mirror image a smile. 

She fancies Mulan. 

This is… 

Great news. She’s very happy with it.

She can’t stop smiling. 

Reaching for the door, she swings it open to the unsurprising presence of Mulan’s soft smile and lovely eyes -- and they are so lovely, Aurora has thought this since that first day at the diner, how is she only realising she likes her so much now; clearly she’s been sleeping on the job -- and she’s clearly come from the autoshop, she smells a bit like grease and the jasmine body spray she spritzes on after. She’s in a soft-looking top, her collarbones peaking enticingly, and oh, Aurora _really_ fancies her. 

Excellent. Maybe she can stop feeling confused and spilling tea around her all the time. Poor tea. (Belle would agree, she’s sure.)

“Hi!” She leans in, pressing a kiss to Mulan’s cheek.

Mulan’s smile softens and there’s a bit more colour to her cheeks than there was a second ago. Aurora can’t normally tell when Mulan blushes, but they’re so close night now and Mulan smells lovely. Mulan is lovely. Mulan, is also, not opposed to kissing girls as she learnt about a month after moving into town when her ex-girlfriend Jack came to visit. Mulan might kiss Aurora back if Aurora kisses her first. 

And oh, she might be getting ahead of herself. She should probably let Mulan in the apartment.

“Hi, brought us some mac and cheese from the diner. Had Ruby toss in a couple slices of pie.” Mulan lifts up bags she’s holding and Aurora grins. 

“Excellent. I’ve made us biscuits...um, cookies.” Aurora corrects herself, moving to let Mulan in. Mulan just grins. 

“Oh, awesome. Which kind?” 

“Gingersnaps. The ones you said you liked last time I made them.”

They move towards the kitchen and Aurora catches the look Mulan sends her way, soft and fond, and maybe a little longing. Maybe she’s being hopeful. 

As they set the food down and Aurora moves the biscuits from the cooling tray to a plate she considers her options. She’s not impulsive. Her move here might look that way, but it really wasn’t. Liking Mulan isn’t impulsive either. She’s liked her for months, she’s just only now sure of just _how_ and how much she likes her. 

She watches as Mulan steals a biscuit and smiles while chewing. 

Maybe she’s a little impulsive, because the next words coming out of her mouth are: “I like you.” And she gets the pleasure of watching Mulan choke a bit and blink up Aurora as she coughs. 

“What?” Mulan sputters.

Aurora steps closer, pushes a glass of wine Mulan, who takes a small sip. “I like you.”

Mulan takes a much longer sip of her wine. The glass is half empty when she sets it down. Aurora grins. 

“Are you kidding?”

Aurora shakes her head. “Nope.” She takes another step closer and reaches out to grab one of Mulan’s hands. She stares at it as she threads their fingers together. 

Mulan is looking down at their hands too. “Okay, good.”

Fighting a smile, Aurora looks up. “Good?”

“Oh, yeah. Very good,” Mulan says about a second before she leans in and kisses the corner of Aurora’s mouth. She feels her cheeks heat. She bites her lips. 

Mulan tugs her closer, cupping her cheek and, oh, yeah, that’s _very good_.

Movie night changes a bit after that. Kissing is involved now and less of the movies are watched.


End file.
